Rotary vegetable cutter



June 21, 1938.

J. J. LEE

ROTARY VEGETABLE CUTTER Filed May 17, 1937 NVENTOR ATTORNEYv Patented June 21, 1938 n V2,121,083 e ROTARY vEGETALn CUTTER l John J. Lee, Wilmington, Calif. l

.Application May 17, 1937; Serial No.; 143,047 L. j Z Claims, (CL MGT-'89X This invention relates' to a rapidimeans for cutting vegetables and the like into small particles. `More specically stated, the invention pertains toI a superior means for rotatably supporting a multiplicity of small cutting elements upon a drum or thelike` and in such a relation to a f eed passage and abutment that a device is produced which will rapidly convert anedible object, for

e e example a cabbage head or carrot, into a finely l divided condition, such as has hitherto been possible only by much slower and more laborious means tol operate. n y y One object ofthe invention is to providea superior toothed cutting bladewhereby a multiplicity of ycutting teeth may be manufactured at a lower cost and assembled in a more advantageous manner. U

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention may hereinafter appear;

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of` the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical'section of the device on line I--I of Fig;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with a portion of the casing broken away in order to disclose interior construction, the section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a fragmental elevational view of one of the cutting elements.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a combined standard and gear casing III` is shown furnished with a mounting means II carrying a clamping screw I2 whereby the device may be detachably secured to a table top I3. Said casing I0 is furnished in its central portion with an outwardly directed bearing extension I4 which supports the shaft I5 of the crank I6 which is secured to the outer end of said shaft, while to its inner end is secured the driving gear I1. Said gear meshes with a pinion gear I8 secured to a shaft I9 supported by the upper bearings 20 and 2|.

To the inner end of the pinion shaft I9 is secured the circular cutter head 23 which carries a sleeve or tubular member 24 having an end portion 25. The head 23 may be made of wood or metal, and if made of metal may be integral with the tubular member 24, or as shown, said member 24 may be `of a cup-shaped character and the head 23l tted into its bottom portion to stiien and strengthen it. The shaft I9 has fixed to it an inner collar 21 and the means for securing the rotary cutter to the shaft I9 is completed on line 4-4 of by means of afsleeveZ, tted withina central opening therefor in said head 23 andcooperating with a washer"129 and securingnut 30. d

The tubular part 24 has exteriorlyv secured to it a plurality joffsubstantially 4parallel, spiral blades 33', eachof these blades having deep serrations ,34 along, its :outer e'dge, thus forming the intervening cutter ter-tlf135.A Said teeth are inclined backwardly withrespect to the clock-wise direction, of rotation of the crank required to operate the device properly. M I The rotary cutter* assembly which has been describedis' housedaxially within a cylindrical casing 40 having ara'dially extending feeding exs tension 4 I whichis locatedat' one side rather than in the top of said casing., 4In the lower portionof said' extension and ,at its inner,` end is an abut,- ment or shoulder42 which" supports substances being fed to the cutter andrhfolds suchsubstances upag'ainst thecutters in sucha way that a rather rapid' rotation of Athe` cutter' `assembly in the proper direction will rapidly cut vegetables such as Carrots Cabbage. .eis-.f mi@ small.. fragments. Said "casing: 401;' as "shown," is ""s'bm'ewhat drum shaped, but it has an open lower side with downwardly directed lateral skirt portions 43 and also has an end opening or recess 44. The latter opening permits the operator more readily to inspect the product delivered by the machine to the receptacle 45 which is shown disposed under the open side of the casing 40.

The feeding extension 4I is of a iiattened character, the width of its throat being considerably greater than its vertical extent. Its lower side is longer than its upper side, thus producing a. rest or lip 4| a to aid in feeding materials to the cutters.

`In the lower part of said extension 4I is a presser plate Mb having its outer end highest and supported by a pivot member 4Icy which extends through the side portions of the extension 4I. Its inner end is upturned at 4Id. Compression springs 4Is bear against the upper side of this pivoted plate to cause it to engage the fed materials with a moderate pressure and thereby keep in a somewhat compact condition, any leafy vegetable or like substances being fed under said plate 4Ib to the cutters. The lower wall or bottom of the extension 4I is furnished with corrugations 4Ia: and the presser plate 4I?) is likewise furnished with corrugations. Mz, these corrugations all running in the direction which the fed materials move. Said extension bottom and presser plate are positioned to grip the fed materials between their corrugated portions.

There-y foresaid corrugations all cooperate to prevent a side-to-side shifting of the materials being fed to the machine and are particularly valuable in view of the fact that the spirally arranged cutters would otherwise tend to shift the fed mass towards one side of the feed passage.

From Fig. 4 it is to be seen that the corrugations 4|:c and Mz are so arranged in relation to each other that they will intert when the lower end of the member Mb (Fig. 2) is pressed into contact with the corrugations of the floor ofthe inclined feeding extension 4I. Hence plant or vegetable stems having a small cross-section cannot slide in a lengthwise manner down the feeding extension between the corrugations without being gripped and held with a suitable firmness While being acted upon by the cutters.

As the vegetables or other substances to be cut into flne pieces are fed through the passage Within the extension 4|, the crank I6 is turned in a right hand, or clockwise, direction thus rotating the cutter assembly in a left hand, or anticlockwise, direction and causing the cutting teeth to move downwardly as they pass by the abutment 42 at the inner end of the feed passage.

Hence the inwardly projecting portion of the vegetable being fed into said casing as aforesaid is rapidly cut by a slicing action into small pieces `a stream of which falls into the receptacle 45.

The best results are obtainedwhn the abutment 42 is located somewhat below the midheight of the rotary cutter assembly and the feed passage is also inclined somewhat downwardly. One of the novel features of the invention resides in the relation of the feeding means to the rotary cutter assembly specified. I

The points of the teeth 35 are inclined in such a way as to be directedr backwardly, in relation to the direction of rotation of said teeth 35adjacent tothe abutment 42, thus giving them a superior capacity for cutting and clearing themselves from the cut materials.

I claim:

1. A cutting mechanism of the kind describedl including a casing, an extension leading downwardly into said casing, said extension having a bottom portion corrugated in the direction which the fed materials move, a presser plate pivotally mounted upon said extension in an upwardly spaced relation to its corrugated floor portion, said presser plate having downwardly directed corrugations extending in the same direction as the corrugations of said extension, springs tending to swing said presser plate downwardly against the materials being fed, and cutting means comprising a rotatable drum having spiral cutting means thereon within said casing rotatable in a direction tending to move the fed materials downwardly through said extension, the cutters of said cutting means also tending to shift the fed materials laterally in opposition to the action of the cooperating corrugated means aforementioned.

2. A cutting mechanism of the kind described including a casing, an extension leading downwardly into said casing, said extension having a bottom portion corrugated in the direction which the fed materials move, a presser plate pivotally mounted upon said extension in an upwardly -spaced relation to its corrugated floor portion,

said presser plate having downwardly directed corrugations extending in the same direction as the corrugations of .said extension, springs tending to swing said presser plate downwardly against the materials being fed, and cutting means comprising a rotatable drum having spiral cutting means thereon within said casing rotatablein a direction tending to move the fed materials downwardly through said extension, the cutters of said cutting means also tending to shift the fed materials laterally in opposition to the action of the cooperating corrugated means aforementioned, portions of said cooperating corrugated means having opposed corrugations positioned to interi-lt with each other and make a close gripping contact upon vegetable substances 

